Pin and hoop game



Jan. l, 1957 c. H. CARLSON 2,776,140

PIN AND HOOP GAME Filed June l. 1954 I7 IO IN VEN TUR.

United PIN AND HGOP GAME Charles H. Carlson, Rockford, Ill., assignor toRockford Inventors, Inc., Rockford, Ill., a corporation of illinois Thisinvention comprises novel and useful improvements in games.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a game ofskill simulating bowling and which may utilize the rules of scoringapplicable to bowling, which game can be played indoors and outdoorswithout the necessity of providing a special alley or the like.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a game apparatusemploying a plurality of pins arranged in a manner simulating thearrangement of ten pins bowling and a hoop for circling all or anynumber less than all of the pins, `dependent upon the skill of theplayer.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a game apparatusemploying a game board having a plurality of pins arranged thereon to beencircled by a hoop, which apparatus is so arranged that the loop may bedetachably mounted on the board to provide a carrying handle for thegame apparatus.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a gameapparatus employing a board and a plurality of pins adapted to bearranged on the board in a preselected pattern, with a hoop adapted tobe thrown thereon to encircle the pins in accordance with the skill ofthe player, which pins are adapted to be detached from the positionaforementioned during playing of the game and conveniently and compactlystored on the board to facilitate storage and transportation of the gameapparatus.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a gameapparatus including a board which is disposed horizontally when playingthe game and has a plurality of pins projecting upwardly therefromadapted to be encircled by a hoop, which apparatus is so arranged thatthe pins and the hoops may be mounted on the board and the entire gameapparatus compactly 'stored or transported in an upright position. i

These, together with various ancillary objects and advantages of thisinvention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomesbetter'understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of the game apparatus in an uprightstorage position showing the pins and the hoop mounted on the gameboard;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the game board showing the pins andhoops in a storage position thereon;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational View of the game apparatus with the hoopsand pins arranged in their storage position, parts of the hoops beingbroken away to illustrate the mounting of the pins;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of `one of the pins; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the game apparatus in a horizontal playingposition showing the pin arrangement on the board and the hoops disposedthereon encircling some of the pins.

The game of the present invention is designed to simulate bowling, bututilizes hoops instead of bowling balls so that the game may be playedindoors or outdoors, Without the necessity of providing 4special alleys.The

Patent O game apparatus includes a board 10 having a plurality of holes11, here shown ten in number arranged on the board in the form of atriangle, to simulate the arrangement of the ten pins on a bowlingalley. The board 10 may be of any desired shape, and is here shown inthe form of a trapezoid, the minor end 12 of which is located adjacentthe apex of the triangular hole pattern in the board. A pair of supportrails 13 and 14 are secured to one side of the board and extend alongthe relatively diverging edges thereof, for supporting the board inspaced relation to the supporting surface such as the ground. The ends15 of the support rails 13 and 14 located adjacent the minor end of thetrapezoidal board 10 terminate coplanar with the minor edge 12 thereof,as indicated at 15 in Fig. 2 whereby the game apparatus may be stored inan upright position and supported in this position by the minor edge 12of the board 10 and the adjacent ends 15 of the supporting rails. Theother ends of the lsupport rails preferably project beyond the peripheryof the board.

A plurality of pins 17 are provided with reduced lower end portions 13adapted to be snugly received in the holes 11 in the game board, andwhen ten of such pins arc mounted in the corresponding holes on theboard, the game apparatus simulates the pin arrangement utilined inbowling. Gne or more hoops 2i are provided, which hoops are preferablyformed of a llexible material such as rubber, the cross-sectionaldiameter of the rim forming the hoop being small with respect to thediameter of the circle encompassed thereby as will be apparent from Fig.l. The hoops are dimensioned so as to loosely encompass the pins 17 whenthe latter are arranged in the triangular pattern on the board. The pins17 are spaced relatively far apart so that the hoops 21 may pass betweenadjacent pins and thus encompass all or any number less than all of thepins dependent upon the skill of the player in throwing the rings, as isclearly shown in Fig. 5.

Provision is made in the present invention for compactly storing thehoops on the game board and for this purpose a plurality of hoopreceiving notches are provided at circumferentially spaced locationsaround the board 10 for receiving the hoops 21. As best shown in Figs. land 2, the ends of the support rails 13 and 14 adjacent theV minor endof the board are recessed to provide beveled surfaces 24 spaced inwardlyof the minor edge 12 of the board and hoop retaining fingers 23 whichextend in spaced parallel relation to the board. Similarly, the otherends of the support rails are also recessed to provide beveled surfaces26 spaced inwardly of the periphery of the board and hoop retainingngers 25 which extend in parallel spaced relation to the board andpreferably beyond the periphery thereof. The board 10 is dimensioned sothat the spacing between the major end 16 and the minor end 12 thereofis greater than the radius of the hoop and less than the diameterthereof, and the beveled surfaces 24 and 26 formed by the recesses inthe support rails are arranged so as to extend substantially secantiallyof the hoops 21 when the latter are mounted thereon, with the outerperiphery of the hoops extending substantially tangentially of the minoredge 12. The game apparatus may thus be stored in an upright positionresting on the edge 12 and the ends 15 of the support rails, and whenthus disposed, the hoops 21 will extend beyond the periphery of theboard, above the major edge 16 thereof, to form a carrying handle forthe game apparatus. As is apparent, the hoops are retained in positionon the beveled surfaces 24 and 26 by the board 1i) which projectsoutwardly beyond the periphery of the hoops and engages one sidethereof, and by the iingers 23 and 25 formed by the support rails whichengage the other side of the hoops. Since the hoops are formed of exiblematerial, they may be deformed slightly to enable mounting or removal ofthe hoops from the board.

A cross piece 2S is secured to the same 'side of `the board to which thesupport rails are attached, :and extends therebetween as shown .in Figs.1 and 3. A plurality of :holes 29 are provided in the Across piece, theaxes of the holes extending parallel to each other and to the plane ofthe board 10, and opening towards the .major edge 16 of the board. Whenthe pins 17 are not arranged in the triangular pattern on the falce ofthe board, during playing, the latter may be inserted in 'the holes 29in the cross piece so as to extend parallel to the board between thesupport rails, thereby providing .a convenient and compact `storage ofthe pins.

In playing the game, the hoops 21 are detached from the board and the`pins -17 removed from the holes 29 in the cross rail and 'inserted in`the holes 11 in the face of the board. Since `the hoops are dimensionedso as to loosely encompass all or any number less than all of the pinswhen arranged on the face of lthe board, in accordance with the skill.and accuracy of the player, it is apparent that lthe game may be playedso as to simulate bowling. Thus, each player may be permitted to throwtwo hoops in each turn and if all of .the pegs .are encircled with thefirst hoop, the .player has scored a strike or if he achieves thisresult after throwing the second hoop, the player has scored a spare. Inthis manner, the `number of pins encircled by `the vplayers in each turncorresponds to the number of pins knocked down by the bowling ballduring each frame, and corresponding rules of scoring may thus beutilized when playing with the present game apparatus as are utilized inbowling. When `storing or transporting the game, the pins are removedfrom the holes 1^1 from the face of the `board and inserted in the holes29 in the cross piece so as to extend parallel to the board between 4thesupport rails 13 and 14, and in a direction toward the major end of theboard. The hoops 21 may then be inserted into the notches between theboard and lthe lingers 423 `and deformed slightly so as to be receivableinthe notches between the boa-rd and the fingers 25, whereby the hoopsare detachably mounted on the game apparatus between the rails and theboard `10. When thus mounted on the board, lthe hoops 21 project beyond`the major end 116 of the board land form convenient [carrying handlesfor carrying 'the game apparatus in `an upright position with the pins17 extending upwardly from the cross piece. Moreover, the game apparatusmay be stored in this position, the apparatus resting on the min-or end12 of the boar-d and the adjacent ends 15 of the support rails, as bestshown in Figs. l and 2.

While in the foregoing description and in the accompanying drawingsthere has been illustrated .a preferred form of the apparatus, it is tobe understood that various modifications may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and `scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A game apparatus for a hoop throwing game comprising a -at boardhaving a plurality of pins projecting outwardly from one face thereofand arranged in la predetermined pattern, a hoop formed of a rim ofsmall diameter relative to the hoop diameter dimensioned to be capablewhen accurately thrown of loosely encompassing all of said pins on saidboard, said pins being spaced relatively far apart s-o that the rim ofsaid lhoop may pass downwardly therebetween, and means for detachablymounting said hoop to said board Vat spaced points adjacent theperiphery of the board so :that `the plane of the hoop extends parallelto the plane of said board, said hoop when mounted on said board havinga portion extending beyond the periphery of the board at one sidethereof said portion forming a carrying handle for the game apparatus.

2. The combination of claim l1 wherein said pins are detachably mountedon said one face of `said boa-rd, and

4 means on the other side ot said board for detachably mounting saidpins thereon with the axis of said pins paralleling the plane of saidboard to permit compact storage .of the pins on the game apparatus.

3. A game apparatus for a hoop throwing game com prising a board havinga plurality of pins projecting upwardly from one face thereof andarranged in a predetermined pattern, a pair of support rails attached tothe other face of said board for supporting the latter with the pins inupright playing position, means between said board and said supportrails defining a plurality of spaced hoop receiving notches about theperiphery of said board, a hoop formed of a rim of small diameterrelative to the hoop diameter dimensioned to be capable when accuratelythrown of loosely encompassing all of said pins on said board, said hoop`being detachably receivable in said notches between said board and`said rails to permit compact storage of the hoop, said hoop whenmounted in said notches projecting beyond the periphery of the board atone side thereof to form a carrying handle for the game apparatus.

4. A game apparatus for -a hoop throwing game comprising a board havinga plurality of pins detachably mounted thereon and projecting upwardlyfrom one face thereof, a pair of support rails attached to the otherface of the board in spaced relation to each other for support ing theboard with fthe pins -in upright playing position, said Isupport railshaving notches in the ends thereof forming a plurality of hoop receivingrecesses spaced around the periphery of said board, and a hoop adaptedto be thrown at the board to encircle the pins in the playing of thegame, the board and hoop being d-imensioned for the hoop to bedetachably received in said recesses f-or transport with the plane ofsaid hoop paralleling the plane of said board, said hoop when disposedIin 'said recesses projecting beyond the periphery of said board at oneedge thereof t-o form a carrying handle for the apparatus.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the edge of said board opposed 'torsaid one edge thereof is straight, said support rails terminatingcoplanar with said straight edge for supporting said game apparatus inan upright position.

6. A game apparatus for a hoop throwing game comprising a board having.a plurality of pins detachably mounted thereon and projecting upwardlyfrom one face thereof, a pair of support rails attached to the otherface of the board in spaced relation to each other for supporting theboard with the pins in upright playing position, said support railshaving notches in the ends thereof forming a plurality of hoop receivingrecesses spaced around the periphery of `said board, a hoop adapted ftobe thrown at the lboard to encircle Ithe pins in the playing of thegame, the board and hoop being dimensioned for the hoop to Ibedetachably received in said recesses for transport with the plane ofsaid hoop par- -alleling the plane of said board, said hoop whendisposed in said recesses projecting beyond the periphery of said boardat Ione side thereof to form la carrying handle for the apparatus, aboard reinforcing cross rail attached to said other face of said board`and extending between said support rails, and means on said cross railfor detachably receiving said pins for transport and for supporting saidpins with the `axes thereof in a plane parallel to the plane of saidboard and between said support rails.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said hoop is formed of exiblematerial.

8. A `game apparatus for a hoop throwing game comprising a board, aplurality of pins detachably mounted on said board projecting upwardlyfrom one face thereof and yarranged in number and pattern to simulate.the arrangement lof ten pins in a bowling alley, a pair of supportrails attached to the other face of the board in spaced relation ltoeach other for supporting the board in a horizontal position, ysaidrails having notches in the ends thereof forming a plurality of hoopreceiving recesses spaced around the perimeter of the board, a hoopormed by a rim of small diameter with respect to the hoop dviameterdimensioned to be capable when accurately ithrown of `looselyencompassing 'all of said pins on said board, .said pins being :sospaced that the rim of the hoop may pass loosely downward therebtweenwhereby the hoop may :also encompass less than lthe .total number ofpins, the hoop Iand the board being related as to size so that the hoopmay be -detachably received in said recesses for transport with theplane of the hoop disposed in parallel relation with the plane of theboard, ywith :a portion of the hoop extending beyond the perimeter ofthe board to iorm a carrying handle for the apparatus, and 'a boardreinforcing cross rail attached to said other face of the board Iandextending between the support 1rails, said cross rail having means fordetachably receiv- `ing said pins for Itransport with the axes thereofin a plane parallel yto -the plane of the board and between lthe supportrail-s.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS731,192 Lewis June 16, 1903 1,036,438 Brown Aug. 20, 1912 1,393,408Tenney Oct. 11, 1921 1,523,756 Collins Jan. 20, 1925 1,777,249 BlackmanSept. 30, 1930 2,176,725 Shelton Oct. 17, 1939 2,230,813 Pressman Feb.4, 1941 2,472,719 Mysels June 7, 1949 2,618,484 Bishop Nov. 18, 1952

